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You can definitely tell it’s the holidays from the attitudes of our callers today.
We’re getting yelled at left and right, and several of the supervisor calls have actually been escalated to real supervisors.
These people just need to pay their bills like they’re supposed to, and things would be just fine.
The clincher was from a woman who insisted she wasn’t going to pay $53 for 30 pills, when her doctor wrote the prescription for 30 pills for 30 days.
We sat there going round and round about it, because we can’t take the pills back unless they’re narcotics, which these weren’t.
I’m already not in a cheery mood.
I hope my mom isn’t in a bad mood when she shows up or things could get interesting.

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I just got a call from someone who got totally screwed by someone a lot higher up in the food chain than me.
The notes said that the member could not be located, along with the doctor because they were in a hurricane-effected area, and this was on 10/25.
They apparently told the caller that they were working on it, that the prescriptions were in the system, and that everything would be fine.
The prescriptions are not in the system, (deleted or otherwise), and the messages were very vague.
Go client!

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I need to be sitting here doing blog stuff about as much as I need another hole in my head.
However, I can’t sleep because I’m all stuffed up, and I’m drinking some orange juice to try to make myself feel better.
I’m also washing a load of laundry because I’m going to go to my mom’s for Thanksgiving and I found while packing that I need a few more things clean.
I’ve discovered an inline trackback plugin for WordPress and a Google adcents plugin for it as well, and I plan on installing those so I can test them out.
I’ll most likely finish this glass of juice though and head to bed.
I’ll also make a pot of coffee in the morning because I only have one soda left, and that’s for lunch.
I just started looking around at some of this blog stuff, and those who know me know how easy it is for me to get drawn into some technological persuit I have no business being in at that particular time.
But then, that’s when the funnest things strike: When you really need them not to.

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I just got a call from someone on an Air Force base who was standing in as a speaker for a veteran who can’t speak because he’s mute.
He went to a civilion pharmacy to get a prescription filled, and when the pharmacist or tech had a problem filling the prescription, he was simply handed a piece of paper with our number on it, circled.
That’s really crappy, in my opinion.
For one thing, it’s laziness on the part of the pharmacy, because they could have very easily called us themselves.
For another, they took advantage of his inability to speak, and just sent him away like some child.
I think to do that to someone who’s fought for this country is doubly disrespectful.

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According to “Labor Decree” number G-d-Only-Knows, (“labor decree” is what I’ve taken to referring to the rules at work), we’re now required to use the phonetic alphabet.
This would be fine if not for the following: (1) Certain words such as Echo and Golf are consistently misinterpreted by members and others on the phone; (2) We spend more time explaining the words and answering questions about our choice of wording than we do actually making sure the particular letter we’re trying to get across is understood.
Case in point: My last caller responded to “Foxtrot” (for those who don’t know, foxtrot is the word used to designate the letter “F” in the phonetic alphabet), “Foxtrot?”
When I explained that we’re required to use the phonetic alphabet, the caller replied: “I thought you had a horse.”
You can stick that in the amateur humor files.

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While in the the break room on my lunch, I saw a clip on Garth Brooks.
He’s apparently releasing a new boxed set, exclusively sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club, because he wants to make sure it’s affordable for everyone.
He made a comment about how hearing that someone would love to have his CD but can’t afford it breaks his heart.
What a dweeb.
Anybody with a brain knows he’s putting out another boxed set because his last album didn’t do so hot, and he needs some cash.

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Two items caught my attention while watching CNN this evening.
The first had to do with the recent news that Katrina’s victims who are now staying in hotels will be required to vacate those hotels by December first.
Jessie Jackson made an appearance, and basically said that the evaccuees could be housed at unused military bases near New Orleans, opining that they should be housed near their former homes, allowed to work and be housed by the government on military bases, and that money being used to fund the Iraq war could be used to pay the tab.
There were video clips of evaccuees yelling at FEMA representatives, and mention of a letter written by New York City’s mayor asking that the deadline be extended.
Nobody mentioned that this money doesn’t grow on trees, and hotels anywhere, but especially in the Big Apple, are expensive.
I imagine the residents aren’t getting a group rate, and that FEMA, through American tax dollars, is footing the bill for every person staying there, and that bill is probably upwards of $80 a night.
They’ve been there since September.
You do the math.
And don’t forget that, along with New York, there are 40 other states with similar tabs.
Throughout this entire episode, I’ve been completely amazed that, not only are the New Orleans evaccuees acting as if they’re owed, it’s portrayed as completely acceptable behavior by the leftist media.
What happened to the American ideal of working hard, and accepting help graciously?
These people can’t actually think that the feds are just going to keep paying the bill.
I, for one, am growing quite tired of this kind of ingrattitude.
Being a victim of a major natural disaster is no excuse.
The citizens of Louisiana, (especially those of New Orleans), have been raised on the idea that the government is supposed to take care of you.
Welcome to the real world folks.
In the rest of America, that’s not the way it is.
Most of us have to take care of ourselves, disaster or not.
Here’s a thought.
Instead of yelling about what you’re not getting, take a moment to thank the proprietor of the hotel you’re staying in.
He or she is most likely losing business due to your occupying rooms, eating at the hotel restaurant, ETC., and is having to deal with just as much government bureaucracy as you are.
Take a moment also to be thankful for the generosity you’ve received, and continue to receive, from the rest of the citizens of this country.
We’ve been gracious enough to put up with the tantrums, with little to no outcry against them.
Keep in mind that the people you elected to represent yourselves failed to ask for a declaration of a state of emergency, and that, despite this, you have been evacuated, and have been able to live off the generosity of others for months now.
No, the government we have isn’t perfect by any stretch of the word, but part of what has happend is a direct result of corruption within your own local government, which you bear the responsibility for electing.
How long is anyone really supposed to be expected to house you for free?
Indefinitely?
Rest assured that there is no possible way that can be accomplished.
And now, for tonight’s other gem.
In California, at San Quentin, there is actually a man on death row, who, believe it or not, is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
This man is a former gangster, specifically the founder of the Cripts, who has, since his incarceration, written children’s books and been a staunch advocate of peace, and spoken out against gang violence.
That, in and of itself is a good thing.
It means he’s had a serious change of heart, and can be confident that, when he meets his Maker, he will find that he’s earned some eternal reward.
But there’s still the matter of paying the penalty for the crimes (robbing and murdering four people), he was convicted of, by a jury of his peers.
There have been vigils outside the prison, and even the “illustrious” Snoop Dog has written to Governor Schwartzeneger requesting clemency.
If I were the governor, it would be a no-go.
It’s great that this individual has devoted the rest of his life to good causes, but he still has to pay for the crimes he committed.
The fact that people can bring themselves to request clemency for a murderer on such grounds as “Look at what he’s become,” and the fact that the media can report this story in a positive light without recrimination from society in general demonstrates the level of degeneracy our society has descended to.
Anyone who has truly had a change of heart and repented of his wrongdoings would accept the penalty.
I would say I’m surprised the man is nominated for a Peace Prize, but if Yacir Arafat can get the Prize, anyone can.
I can’t help but wonder what the reports will look like when the man is actually executed.
I imagine all his supporters will go into mourning, and, God forbid, we’ll be subjected to op-eds about how corrupt we are for executing a man despite the good he’s done.
If we take the time to remember the people he killed, or, even more abstractly, the fact that four lives were needlessly extinguished, it should put things back in their proper perspective.

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Yesterday ended on a very sour note, but since it was already Shabbat by the time I left work, I couldn’t post about it.
My last call was from some guy who was mad because we didn’t use our “common sense” when it came to refilling his prescription.
His doctor didn’t write a day supply, only a set of directions on the script.
So we tried to get in contact with the doctor to verify how to proceed.
No response.
So we deleted the script, and sent it back to the member.
Well, apparently, we’re just supposed to know what the day supply is supposed to be by looking at the amount of pills prescribed.
Right.
Everyone knows what would happen if we started filling scripts like that.
We’d be sued by everybody who could manage it.
The guy asked for my name so he could sue me.
These people think they’re really going to get something done by suing someone at the very bottom of the food chain, lower than they are?
As far as we’re supposed to be concerned, they’re practically divine!
That’s evidenced by the fact that people who aren’t even citizens can order us around, with no fear of consequence.
Now before anyone takes this the wrong way, or happens to come across this and take the remarks out of context, I’m not advocating frivolous lawsuits against those higher up in the corporate world just because they are higher up in the corporate world.
I don’t bear a grudge based on one’s position or status in what has become the modern nobility.
However, suing the least of us isn’t going to get anything accomplished, really.
Bottom line, just because you screw up doesn’t mean I’m going to try to get the company to take the fall.

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There’s apparently an article in today’s Daily Rejecter about a beer actually called Hebrew.
The company (Genesis Ale) marketing the brew has a motto of “Don’t pass out, Pass Over.”
The alcohol content is nine percent, which is quite high for a beer.
It’s currently being marketed and sold in Colorado and fourteen other states.
I’ll have to be on the lookout (or pay someone in one of the targeted states) for Hebrew to start showing up in stores in my area.

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I’ve gotten an early start today, so I’ve got a little time left that I can use to blog.
We’re scheduled for a meeting of the “Right Team” (mine) today, probably having to do with our latest monitoring, which John says has bone really well.
Good.
Something positive.
And maybe we’ll even get lucky and have relatively little cue, though none at all would be, I think, optimism to the point of foolishness.
I hope today isn’t as bad as yesterday was though.
I’ve gotten a little more used to the cold, except that I’m having sinus trouble because of it, or the heat, can’t figure out which.
I’ve got some people’s sites to move to WordPress this weekend, namely Jerry’s.
It won’t take me more than five minutes to do, and really isn’t a lot of work, so I figure it’ll serve as my good deed for a few days, and I’ll get it done this weekend, after Shabbat.
I’m going to my mom’s for Thanksgiving weekend, and that’ll be a nice change, even if it doesn’t involve Ze’evi.
He’ll probably end up having to work, but either way, we can’t spend the weekend together, which sucks, but it’s life.
I plan on taking on a major editing project for this blog, mainly just going through it and changing all names that are the real ones to protect the privacy of individuals mentioned, especially the ones associated with work, and definitely the instances where the name of my employer shows up.
Admittedly those entries are really old, but they’re in the archives, which means they’re searchable by anyone.
And I definitely don’t want to end up on that list of people who get fired for their blog content.
I’m not sure when I’ll get to the L-J, and the other one’s OK.
I’ve only got one more sip of coke left, so I’ll end this here.
Everybody take care, and I’ll probably post later.
Hope you’re all doing well.

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OK, I’ve just about had it with this two-bit system.
It needs to either start working properly, (more accurately, the foks responsible for it need to get it fixed), or we need to be allowed to deal with it in some other way than repeatedly asking callers to hang on while the damn thing decides what it’s going to do.
Christ on crutches, can anything just simply work around here?

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I’d really like to shoot the last two callers in the head.
The first one was a grumpy old woman who wanted to jump back and forth between records for herself and her husband, and bitch at me because her doctor wrote her prescriptions “do not substitute,” (meaning we can’t substitute a generic for a brand, even if it’s cheaper, usually for medical reasons), and then she wanted to bitch because she had prescriptions she had no refills on.
The next one was just incredibly stupid.
I’m getting tired of people going “Do you mean the … (insert piece of information: account number, prescription number, order number, ETC.)” when I ask for the ID number.
Is it really that hard to at least act like you’re intelligent?
That’s the easiest part of the call!
Just give me the information I’m asking for, and don’t ask me to jump all over the screen, and then go “wait, I have the ID now” when I’m in the middle of doing a name search or something like that.
Jesus God!
People get on my nerves!
You have to try to be that stupid.
There’s no possible way you just are that way.
I wish this day would hurry up and end.

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It’s gotten really cold here really fast.
Yesterday, we were up in the 70’s.
It was warm enough to have the windows open so that the resh air could come in.
Today, we’re supposed to have a high in the upper 50’s, and tomorrow, in the lower 50’s.
Lows in the 30’s and 20’s.
And from the looks of the forecast, it’ll be that way at least until next Wednesday.
No watch it jump back up just in time for Thanksgiving.

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